LAAC supports efforts to increase diversity in the legal profession, and we focus much of our energy on increasing diversity in the legal services community. Below are some helpful resources for advocates, attorneys, and executive directors.
A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Racial Justice Toolkit for Civil Legal Aid Organizations
Launched in January of 2021, the IDEAL Toolkit exists as a resource for pursuing DEI and Racial Justice work. We aspire to have it live as an active document to ultimately encompass varying policies, models, and procedures that uplift and support DEI/Racial Justice work in our organizations. If you have any questions about the IDEAL Toolkit, please do not hesitate to contact Theo Ser-Ramin <tser-ramin@laaconline.org> or Derrius Jones <djones@laaconline.org>
If would like to offer feedback or suggestions for future versions of the Toolkit, please do so through this survey
Shaping the Future of Justice: Effective Recruitment and Retention of Civil Legal Aid Attorneys in California
In 2010, LAAC published a recruitment and retention report of CA legal aid attorneys. Though the report was not designed to collect extensive diversity statistics, there are interesting stats within the report.
List of Outreach Ideas for Recruiting Diverse Candidates (2015)
In partnership with other organizations, LAAC created a list of bar associations and other outlets to use to announce openings in legal services offices. Organizations must start with a diverse candidate pool to be able to hire a qualified candidate, and we hope these ideas create a diverse pool.
List of Outreach Ideas for Recruiting Diverse Candidates Bar Associations:
CA State Bar List of Minority Bar Associations
San Francisco Bay Area Minority Bar Coalitions
Multicultural Bar Alliance of Southern California
LGBT Bar Associations:
National:
LGBT Bar’s Annual Lavender Law Career Fair
Los Angeles:
Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles
Sacramento:
Sacramento Lawyers for the Equality of Gays and Lesbians
San Diego:
San Francisco:
Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom
Santa Rosa:
LGBT Law Section of the Sonoma County Bar Association
Disability Bar Associations:
Disability Rights Bar Association
National Association of Attorneys with Disabilities
Women’s Bar Associations:
Queen’s Bench Bar Association (San Francisco)
Ethnic Minority Bar Associations:
African American:
Charles Houston Bar Association (Northern CA)
John M. Langston Bar Association of LA
Native American:
National Native American Bar Association
California Indian Law Association
Hispanic/Latino:
Hispanic National Bar Association
La Raza Lawyers- chapters in San Francisco, San Diego, Santa Clara
Orange County Hispanic Bar Association
Mexican American Bar Association
Asian/Pacific Islander:
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area
Korean American Bar Association of Southern California
Asian Pacific American Bar Association (APABA) Los Angeles
Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association (SCCALA)
Arab American Lawyers of Southern California
Law School Student Organizations (contact each law school so they can circulate to alumni):
– Asian Pacific American Law Students Association
– Black Law Students Association
– La Raza
– Middle Eastern and South Asian Law Students Association
– Muslim Law Students Association
– Filipino Law Students Association
– Native American Law Students Association
–National Association of Law Students with Disabilities
– Association of Law Students for Disability Rights (Univ. of San Francisco School of Law)
– Women’s Law Association
– Lambda Law Students Association
Other:
Public Service Jobs Directory (PSJD)
LAAC-maintained Legal Aid Job Posting page
Other community groups and partners in collaborative efforts